Chapter 8

Bike

We reach our stay-home house when the night strikes down. I parked my bike inside the house because we don't know how many of them would try to steal it and couldn't bear to lose the only thing that can help me to go on an easy transport. Al and I shared the junk foods we found earlier at the tech store. There were hesitations that these foods might be toxic and we could be ended up poisoned but as I watched Al eating the whole pack, there's nothing happened and it's like heaven to eat something we never had before. We only get to see it on the billboards but we never get to eat it. For Licit People, junk foods are one of their unhealthy snacks yet in the Waste Land, it is something we wished for.

"Good thing you found this junks, Dy."

"Well, yeah, I've got nothing to look into that place and bound to see those things. So why not grab it, right? No one would stop me."

"Fair enough," he said, "but can I ask you something, if you don't mind?"

I give him a nod, "yes, sure, what is all about?"

"What would you do if you reach the end?" he asked.

It processed in my head for like few minutes just to understand what he's talking about, I shrugged off my shoulder, really don't have the learnings to what should I do after this initiation. "Can't tell really, not just because I don't wanna share it. It is because I really don't know..."

He nodded, forehead creased, "and what's all these risks you've been taking if you don't know what's coming for you at the end?"

"What's the importance of it, really? Does what actually we do, really defines us?"

He smirks, and I couldn't just stop making these things out of my head because none of these things would eventually be good when you reach the Noble Land. It only gets worse and worse. "Okay, calm down yourself, I didn't even step your pride though." He chuckles, "what I'm just telling, is what you will be when you became a Licit? That's it."

"I still don't have any, Al. I don't really care if reach the end. What's the matter the most that I live and so my family."

"Then there it is." he said, "your family... but do you have any family there at the Noble Land."

I shook my head, "no one." I said, "but I left my Mom at the Waste Land and I would do everything, so she could live the same way we'll live."

"What are you trying to imply with that?" he asked, "do you planning to stop the process?"

"I didn't say that... but if I had the chance, why not? It is so unfair for all of us to go through this. We suffer, we breakdown and we grow apart. And the only thing they managed to do is to live on a normal basis day which some of them doesn't really deserve being called Licit."

"But the actually did it." Al said, "many people who survive the rebirth comes in different and on how they see the world. You may not like how they play but this is the cruelty of this process. You should know how to fight and survive and be well worthy among the Licit People."

"What else we could've done? We're just some people who go through rebirth and their life worthwhile of watching us."

He sighed, "you know man, we can't change how this world rules among us but we can be the change among all the differences we had."

I really don't know but on what he said, it gives me some ideas that this process doesn't have to be this way. We don't need to waste the nine months of our lives proving that we can be among them, but we could start something that they will see us something more than a worthless being.

"What are you thinking, Dylan?"

I shook my head, "nothing, maybe I just needed some rest."

"That's what we all need to have." He responds.

When I stood up, I felt some dizziness but when I realized that it wasn't really coming from my head, I looked at Al whose been calm and quiet sitting on the couch and it's not some headache. It's an earthquake.

I hold on to grab some steady post to stand up on my balance and I couldn't bear how the ground shakes really hard that it's going to break down the houses. Al and I grab our backpack and we step outside of the house and to see a lot of people were also gathering outside trying to seek help within the others.

"Just don't move, Dy," Al said, and just like what he said, I didn't move but to cover my head with my backpack. "This should stop in any seconds now."

"What if it doesn't?" I said.

He looked at me and shake his head, "that's impossible to happen, Dy."

"But you said they were controlling this place, and this might be their doing."

"Oh, you really had a point there, man." He said, "and what they're doing is trying to make everyone awake whole through the night and so that keeps everyone tired the next day... that's just my thought and I don't really have any idea what they're doing."

We stayed on the ground for few seconds until the shaking stops. Everyone was still waiting for the aftershocks but most of them run back to their homes and grab their things and run away. Al and I have the idea to do the same but it's so much a risk to do it and it's night, there's so much trouble to get too.

But the next thing happened, makes everyone panic, alarmed signaling for an upcoming tsunami that's hitting the east side of the land which we're we are now. We didn't hesitate and we grab some of our things inside the house, and I can't lose the ax right now. We used the motorbike but there are some people who go after us and point us the gun if we don't give them the bike.

"Please... don't do this, we all need to survive. Just give this one to us." I said.

But they didn't listen to my reason. How can we win when there are three of them, holding each one a gun. I couldn't just surrender them what we have and I wouldn't let them use us for their own sake.

"What's taking so long, huh? Aren't you giving the bike or you'll die both either way."

"Well..."

"We don't give up so easily."

Al and I took a risk of jumping into the bike and run into them, they dodged us but get up immediately and shoot us back, but luckily we don't have any shots. I don't know why would they steal this bike, after all, there were so many vehicles around that they can grab and use but only people who can find it, keep it and fight for it.

The tsunami alarm we're still going and we should find some high grounds to cover ourselves from the flood. We took narrow streets just to get away from the people running around. Al pointed out the tenth story building and I drive fast as I could to reach it without the tsunami eating us alive.

When we reach the building, I asked Al where can I hide my bike but he just told me to cover it up with cloth, so no one would find it. I came to find some wide cloth on my bag but anything I could to hide my bike, someone steals it from Al's hands.

"Hey! Bring it back!" I yelled but the guy just gives me his dirty finger.

I couldn't calm myself at this moment, everything that's happening is not really good and this place really tests my patience and my all anger. But what should I do, that guy has gone too far and couldn't follow him anymore when there's a tidal wave coming after us.

We break the door to enter the building and hurriedly take the stairs reaching the top floor, which is the rooftop. When we reach the door going through the rooftop, it's like. We can't barge inside and there are some people outside and they were blocking the door and I don't know how can we do this but we need to get on that side and shall live for another day. There are others who came wanting to go on the other side of the door but when they knew that the door is locked, they immediately go back downstairs and we couldn't risk it finding another building.

"Let me do this." Al said and knocked the door a few times, "please, let us in. We came to no harm to everyone. We just need to have a safe place tonight and we wouldn't mind if you don't give us some space there, just let us through this. You don't us wanna die here..."

I smirked after he said all those words but still, they didn't listen, "they won't let us in, they don't even know us."

"Not all people here really know each other, Dy." He said, "that's why we're taking this as an advantage."

I just nodded to him and wouldn't speak another word. And in shock, a person talks to us from the other side.

"How many are you there?" a man speaks up.

"Just two!" Al said.

"Any weapons?" he asked and I just looked at my ax and I couldn't bear to lose it too, but for this chance, I would do it. "Hey, any weapons?"

"Nothing we hold right now," Al answered.

We wait for a minute and then we heard that they're putting away all those things that block the door and after that, they open the door and a man sneak up, widely opening up the door to let through. When we stepped outside the rooftop, we see a lot of people looking at us and we just give them a nod for giving us a chance to step in their place. As Al and I get to see what's beyond down there, the streets are on a flood, still uprising and didn't know how much we have time down there until we see what we've been through.

"We're still adjusting on this environment and they obviously wanted to kill us," he said.

"That's why few only reaches the end." I sighed, "we're still in a long way and more of it comes."

He patted my shoulder, "glad to know you, man."

"You too, Al..." I said, "we should rest for now until the land is no longer swims in water."

He nodded, "yeah, that's what I'm also thinking."

Al sits on the corner to get some rests and I don't think I could do that same when I'm surrounded by many different people whose stranger into my eyes. And there comes a girl, walks towards me and ask where we have been and I just told her that we stayed on the townhouse somewhere and she obviously knows that place even I didn't get to describe it.

"What makes you think we let you in?" she asked, and I was confused about what she asks.

"I don't know... what is it?" I muttered, and I don't know what to feel because they're starting to make me uncomfortable and I just wanted to call Al and tell that these people aren't the ones we think they are. I stepped backward and she smiles at what I do. "What are you doing?" I asked.

But then she just smirked, "doing sacrifices."